Guest Article: FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Endorses Framework for Action on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD

By Dan Leskien, Senior Liaison Officer, Fee on Genetic Assets for Meals and Agriculture, Meals and Agriculture Group of the UN

On 1 October 2021, the 18th biennial session of the FAO Fee on Genetic Assets for Meals and Agriculture (Fee) ended with the approval of The worldwide Plan of Movement for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Enchancment of Aquatic Genetic Assets for Meals and Agriculture to be thought-about by the FAO Council for undertakeion earlier than The prime of this yr. In response to the report on The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Meals and Agriculture, the Fee, which was convened almost, furtherly endorsed a Framework for Movement on Biodiversity for Meals and Agriculture.

Framework for Movement on Biodiversity for Meals and Agriculture

In view of the on-going negotiations of the Submit-2020 Worldwide Biodiversity Framework, the Fee decided To imagine about The want for A worldwide Plan of Movement on Biodiversity for Meals and Agriculture or Ancompletely different coverage devices on biodiversity for food and agriculture (BFA) as quickly as the GBF has been accredited. Inside the meantime, it endorsed the Framework for Movement on Biodiversity for Meals and Agriculture. The Framework tacklees BFA as A complete and goals To promote coordinated action throughout All of the sectors of food and agriculture – and extra extensively – To reinformationrce the sustainable use and conservation of BFA at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. It is not meant To commerce, duplicate or change the Fee’s current sectoral global plans of action for genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA), or completely different international agreements, however to strengthen their harmonious implementation.

The Fee furtherly endorsed a draft Council decision inviting the Convention of the Events to the Convention on Organic Variety To primarytain in thoughts, in The event of the GBF, the Framework for Movement for Biodiversity for Meals and Agriculture As properly as to the Fee’s global action plans. The draft decision furtherly invites the private sector to assist the implementation of the Fee’s actions plans and encourages donors To current assist to their implementation as An factor of the global effort To understand the Sustainable Enchancment Aims, Notably Goal 2.5.

Worldwide action on genetic resources for food and agriculture

The Fee considered the implementation of its action plans on plant, livestock and forest genetic resources and whereas it took notice of the progress made, it careworn The Need to enhance efforts To take care of The differ Of these essential resources. It recommended its intergovernmental technical working teams on their extreme diploma Of expertise and took notice Of numerous sensible guides the working teams had contrihowevered to in The sector of plant and animal genetic resources.

The Fee furtherly paved The biggest method for the undertakeion of ancompletely different global action plan and invited the Council to undertake, in response to the findings of The primary global evaluation of aquatic genetic resources for food and agriculture, a global plan of action for aquatic genetic resources.

Beneath the auspices of the Fee, two nation-pushed global evaluations are presently under preparation: the second report on forest genetic resources and the third report on plant genetic resources. The Fee inspired nations and related international organizations to contrihowevere To these evaluations by offering The required knowledge. The Fee will consider first drafts of the evaluations in 2023.

Upon consider of the standing and tendencies of the use and conservation of invertebrate pollinators, collectively with honey bees, the Fee requested FAO To imagine about The want for, and modalities of, a global pollinator platform To deal with pollinators and pollination providers at global diploma, and to report on this matter to the Fee at its subsequent session.

Cross-sectoral issues

The Fee thought-about Together with the completely different sectors of animal, aquatic, forest, plant, micro-organism and invertebrate genetic resources a quantity of cross-sectoral issues. It thought-about the position of biotechnologies for the conservation and sustainable use of GRFA; entry and revenue-sharing (ABS); digital sequence information (DSI); the position of GRFA in mitigation of and adaptation to local climate change; and the nexus of biodiversity for food and agriculture (BFA), food safety, vitamin and human well being.

Biotechnologies

In considering current developments in biotechnologies related to the characterization, sustainable use and conservation of GRFA, the Fee noticed that A Number of agricultural biotechnologies, agroecology and completely different revolutionary approaches Ought to be seen as complementary And will contrihowevere to the SDGs, sustainable agri-food methods and enhancing vitamin. It careworn the significance of performance-constructing and consciousness-elevating.

Access and revenue-sharing and digital sequence information

The Fee has a longstanding historic previous of Dealing with entry to GRFA and the sharing Of advantages derived from their utilization. At this session, the Fee welcomed a Survey of entry and revenue-sharing nation measures and initiated further work Which will deepen the empirical proof Desired to know The outcomes of ABS measures on evaluation and development associated to GRFA. More particularally, it requested a compilation of particular examples of current nation ABS measures that immediately or Inimmediately accommodate distinctive options of GRFA. To the extent ABS measures tackle DSI, They might be included in the compilation.

The Fee furtherly initiated further intersessional work on DSI, collectively with a research on how DSI is generated, saved, entryed and used for evaluation and development associated to GRFA. It furtherly decided To imagine about, at its subsequent session, the completely different coverage decisions talked about under the CBD for DSI, collectively with The selection of ABS multilateral mechanisms, and their implications for the agri-food sector.

Climate change

The Fee took notice of the scoping research on The position of genetic resources for food and agriculture in adaptation to, and mitigation of, local climate change and put in place a course of by way of which Fee Members might report Finally on Using GRFA in mitigating and adapting to local climate change. The Fee furtherly decided to consider and revise at its subsequent session its 2015 Voluntary Ideas to Support The mixing of Genetic Variety into Nationwide Climate Change Adaptation Planning, Contemplating The Need to deal with the vulnerabilities of GRFA to local climate change.

Meals safety, vitamin and human well being

Lastly, the Fee careworn the important positions that GRFA and BFA might play in food system transformations and in tackleing the problem of offering protected, healthful and sustainable diets.

 

The Fee’s subsidiary our bodies will meet Inside the midst of 2022/23. The Fee’s subsequent Session is tentatively scheduled For twenty-4-28 July 2023.